Snow, lately, but it wasn't always that way having grown up in Southern California. Here we hope for lots of snow because there are usually new snowboards/discs on the gift lists. Back in CA, I remember hoping for nice weather to ride bikes or rollerblades. LOL!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Suzanne. We almost moved to VT when I was younger. My mom used to take me to Smuggler's Notch and for awhile she was looking at nursing jobs near Burlington. I often wonder what my life would have turned out like had we moved.

If you resolve to purchase a locally (ideally organically) grown tree, real is the best from an ecological (and health) perspective, hands down. Those fake trees may be convenient and cheap, but they are full of nasty chemicals that emit VOCs. Tree farms actually provide some decent habitat for a buncha animal, which is certainly more than the mall the fake tree comes from can boast. Aaaand, as mentioned before, the real trees smell amaaaazing. Balsam most specifically. Ooh, I love 'em.